Page 29 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

F lashback

Asher

Fear gripped my rapidly beating heart as a stranger pulled a screaming Adrian across the playground.

I didn’t stop to think. Adrian’s first scream hadn’t even finished before I bolted across the playground, running the fastest I’d ever run in my life.

In the back of my mind, I registered that there was candy on the ground over by the swings.

Quickly, I put together that the kidnapper must have tried to lure Adrian away from the busy playground with candy.

But being the smart kid he was, Adrian started screaming for help the second he felt something was off, making the kidnapper snatch him.

There was also someone on my heels that I assumed was Ivy, but all of my focus was on Adrian’s wide, terrified eyes as another scream ripped from his lips.

Anger and adrenaline pumped through my bloodstream as I shot across the crowded playground like a bullet. I didn’t dare take my eyes off of Adrian and the hooded stranger who was dressed in all black. From his large, bulking frame, I assumed the assailant was male.

I pumped my arms, increasing my speed, quickly dodging past a little girl who toddled across my path .

But nothing was going to stop me from getting to Adrian. When he was safe, I was going to rip off his kidnapper’s head. First, I would punish Adrian’s attacker before I delivered the killing blow. Only the worst kind of scum hurt children. And this monster was going to pay.

My heart thudded against my ribs as I closed in on the monster, trying to take Adrian away.

Almost there.

The hooded stranger turned his head, probably hearing my thudding footsteps behind him.

There was a black bandana covering the lower half of his face, but his brown eyes widened in fear.

I filed away the color of his eyes for later.

He veered to the left to try to get away from me, but I followed after him easily.

When I was only twenty feet away, Adrian reached his arms out to me. “Asher!” he called desperately.

The sound of his frightened cry was like an extra shot of adrenaline. I leaped the distance between us, flying through the air, the wind whipping through my hair, and I landed right in front of the hooded stranger before he could exit the playground.

He tried to run for the crowded sidewalk, but I seized him tightly and gently grabbed Adrian, prying the boy from the stranger's tight grip. When I had one arm wrapped around Adrian, I used my hand that was still on the stranger’s shoulder to push him to the ground violently.

He flew back several feet and landed with a thud.

“Stay down,” I commanded in my Alpha voice.

I spun around and handed Adrian to Ivy, who was standing right behind me.

Her eyes were wild with anxiety as she took her son and scanned his entire body, looking for injuries.

In his mother’s arms, Adrian’s eyes grew red, tears running down his cheeks.

He buried his head into his mother’s shoulder, and his little body shook with sobs.

Ivy murmured words of comfort to him as she turned and hurried away.

I wanted to comfort them, but I had to deal with the scum first. My hands clenched into tight fists, and a frustrated growl ripped out of me when I turned back around and saw that the hooded stranger had left the playground and was now sprinting down the crowded sidewalk.

He pushed people out of his path, even knocking down a young woman.

I sprang forward and sped toward him, rage spreading through my body like an out-of-control blaze. My stomach dropped when I saw a turn up ahead. He ran around the corner, and I lost sight of him for nearly a minute. When I finally turned the same corner, my eyes scanned the large crowd.

But there wasn’t a black hooded figure in sight. A cold sweat ran down my neck as I spun around, searching for him, but I had no idea what I was looking for. I didn’t even know the bastard’s hair color.

Shit!

He must have taken off his hoodie and bandana. I ran to the nearest garbage can, and sure enough, the black hoodie and bandana were right on top.

I took a deep breath and prepared to track him by his scent, but the bastard’s smell was blocked somehow. He could have paid one of the witches who lived in the woods outside my pack’s territory to make a potion that masked his scent.

I swore and took my phone out of my pocket to call my Beta.

Quickly, I explained the situation and instructed him to have our investigation team look for the attempted kidnapper.

I knew that the chances of apprehending him were low because the only thing I knew about him was the color of his eyes.

The team would have to be on the lookout for males with a muscular build who were acting strange.

But if there was even the slightest chance of capturing him, the team would need to act quickly before he had the chance to leave the city.

The fact that it would be dark soon didn’t help our case either.

I wanted to help with the search, but my heart was pulling me back toward Ivy and Adrian. I wanted to comfort them after this traumatic experience. I scanned the crowded streets one last time before sighing. I turned around with a pit in my stomach, feeling like I’d let Adrian and Ivy down.

“Thank you for walking us to the door,” Ivy said, still clutching Adrian tightly to her.

We were back at their hotel outside the door to their room. I’d called one of the drivers I had on standby so that they wouldn’t have to walk back. On the short drive here, I scanned the streets, my body still tense from what happened.

“Ivy, can I stand guard outside your door tonight?” I asked. “Just in case.”

At first, I was going to order a few of my guards here, but I only trusted myself with the important job of protecting them.

After they were safely inside, I would call a few warriors for backup and to sweep the perimeter throughout the night, but I wanted to be the point person in terms of their safety.

To my surprise, it was Adrian who spoke first, instead of Ivy.

“Asher, will you tuck me in and stay with me?” Adrian said in a soft voice. “I'll feel safer with you here.”

As I looked into his wide green eyes, my heart felt like it was going to crack open. At that moment, I knew that I would protect this little boy with my life.

I made eye contact with Ivy, and she nodded, giving me her blessing.

In Adrian’s room, I waited while Ivy gave him a quick bath, and a small smile crossed my face when he came out dressed in red race car pajamas.

But my smile dropped when I noticed a new hesitance to the way he walked as he got into his bed.

My stomach churned with anger at the asshole who had caused this new fear in him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Ivy had a small frown on her face as she watched her son.

She had probably noticed the same thing that I had.

Once Adrian was settled in, I tucked the white comforter around him and sat on the edge of his bed.

“Will you read me Goodnight Little Shifter?” he asked and looked at his bedside cabinet with a neatly stacked pile of kids' books.

Grief pressed down on my heart, and I rubbed my chest absentmindedly.

“Of course,” I answered after a beat of silence. “I don’t even need to read from the book. I have that story memorized. That was actually my favorite book when I was your age. I always begged my dad to read it for me.”

“Really?” Adrian said, and his eyes brightened slightly. “That’s another way that we're alike.”

“When you have key lime pie and Goodnight Little Shifter, what more do you need?” I said, and we shared a smile.

“Exactly.”

As I told Adrian the story I knew by heart, I recalled all of the times my dad read me the same story. Strangely, it felt right to continue the tradition with Adrian. In the middle of the story, I glanced over at Ivy. The warm look on her face made my heart skip a beat.

“Will you sit with me until I fall asleep?” Adrian asked me shyly when I was finished.

I patted his knee. “Absolutely.”

He looked past me toward Ivy.

“You too, Mom.”

Ivy walked closer and took a seat in the desk chair. “Of course. I love you, sweetheart. I’m so sorry that happened to you.” She leaned over and smoothed his hair back. “We can talk more about what happened in the morning, but right now, I think it’s best if you rest.”

Adrian nodded and yawned.

Ivy and I sat there for the next thirty minutes as Adrian’s breathing eventually evened out.

When I was certain he was asleep, I inclined my head toward Ivy’s room, and she nodded.

Quietly, we walked into her adjoining room, closing the door, but not shutting it all the way so we could still hear Adrian’s steady breathing.

When I turned to her, Ivy let out a deep sigh, and a single tear fell down her face, but she wiped it away quickly.

Without a word, she wrapped her arms around me and buried her face into my chest. I held her close, gently stroking her hair. With my other hand, I made small circles on her back. Ivy’s shoulders began to shake with silent sobs, and all I could do was hold her tighter to me.

I wasn’t sure how long we stood like that for, but all I knew was that I needed this hug just as much as she did. I might not be Adrian’s parent, but I cared deeply for that adorable little boy. I had been shaken by his attempted kidnapping, too.

When Ivy looked up at me, her eyes were red and wet. “How will he ever be the same after today?” she asked in a broken voice. “How can he ever be a carefree kid again when he knows just how cruel the world is?”

I pressed her warm body closer to mine. “Ivy, kids are resilient. Of course, it’s going to take him some time to recover from this, and if he has trouble getting better, you can always bring him to talk to a professional, but he will be okay.”

“How do you know that?” she asked, her voice dejected.

“Because he has you. And you’re the best mom in the world.”

A reluctant smile graced her voice. “You didn’t hesitate.” Her arms tightened around me.

I tilted my head, confused as to where she was going with this. “What do you mean?”

“You didn’t hesitate before you ran after my son. You acted even before I could when you heard him screaming,” she said, an amazed look on her face.

“Of course I did. I know I just met him, but I care for him, Ivy. You must know that.”

There was a determined look in her eyes as she blew out a long breath.

“Asher, there’s something you need to—“

My phone vibrated in my pocket. “I’m so sorry to interrupt you,” I said. “But I have to take this. It might be my Beta with news about Adrian's attempted kidnapper.”

Ivy stepped away, and my hands dropped to my sides. An emptiness filled me as soon as she left the circle of my arms.

“Please, answer it,” Ivy said.

When I saw that it was my Beta, I made a mental note to ask him to send warriors to the hotel to help me guard Ivy and Adrian.

“Did you find him?” I said when I answered my phone.

“No, I’m sorry. But we are still searching. ”

“Good,” I said shortly, wanting to get back to my conversation with Ivy and then focus on protecting her and her son for the night. “Listen, can you send five of our warriors to the—“

“I’m sorry to cut you off, but there’s something very important I need to tell you.” My Beta’s voice was deadly serious.

My pulse quickened.

What else could have happened?

“What is it?” I asked.

“I just heard back from your mechanic and the accident specialist. They are one hundred percent certain that your brake lines were cut on purpose,” my Beta said.

What the…?

My head spun as I tried to process the fact that someone had intentionally tried to kill me.

“Asher?” Ivy said, noticing my distress. “Are you—”

A scream from the adjoining room interrupted her.

Ivy and I looked at the partially closed door and whispered the same name.

“Adrian.”